1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to household appliances and, more particularly, to a lighting device mounting system for a household appliance such as a dishwasher, and an associated apparatus and method.
2 . Description of Related Art
A dishwasher includes a wash tub for containing the dishware to be washed, wherein the wash tub defines a front opening. The front opening is configured to be engaged by a door for closing/sealing the front opening. The door is typically hinged at the lower end thereof such that the upper end of the door can be pivoted downward so as to permit access to the interior of the wash tub. When pivoted upward to close/seal the front opening, the door is often retained in that position by a lock mechanism. The lock mechanism may further be configured to prevent the door from being opened when the dishwasher is in operation. With this structure, the dishwasher, when installed, is often recessed underneath a countertop and between cabinets. Because the wash tub is disposed underneath the countertop, such a front-opening dishwasher may not necessarily receive sufficient ambient light in the wash tub when the door is open, and thus it may be difficult for a user to see the dishware within the wash tub under such low light conditions.
Accordingly, some dishwashers may implement one or more interior lighting devices, such as incandescent lights or LEDS, disposed within and engaged with the tub of the dishwasher. In some instances, each lighting device may be attached to the top wall of the wash tub top via a “snap” fit or “snap” mechanism engaging a respective aperture defined by the top wall of the wash tub. However, because of the high temperatures and humidity experienced about the top wall of the wash tub, a uniform and consistent seal between the lighting device and the top wall of the wash tub is often required so as to prevent moisture leakage out of the wash tub. Such a uniform and consistent seal may be difficult to achieve using the discrete snap mechanisms, since such snap mechanisms generally do not extend continuously about the lighting device.
Thus, there exists a need for a mounting system capable of mounting a lighting device to a dishwasher tub wall such that a uniform and consistent seal therebetween is achieved so as to prevent moisture leakage out of the wash tub of the dishwasher.